Telephone-switch.



No. 897,681. I PATENTED SEPT. 1 1908.

0. TRUITT.

TELEPHONE SWITCH. APPLICATION rum) mm: 8,1907..

THE NORRIS PETERS cm, WASHINGTON, a c.

CLARENCE TRUITT,

PATENT OFFICE.

OF MOSCOW, IDAHO.

TELEPHONE-SWITCH.

Application filed. June 8, 1907.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CLARENCE Tnurrr, a citizen of the United States,residing at Moscow, in the county of Latah and State of Idaho, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Telephone-Switches; andI do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in switches for telephones wherebythe subscriber can cut out the section of the main line at either sideof his station, so that the conversation being carried on between twosubscribers cannot be heard by the other subscribers on the same line.

The improvement is, of course, only intended for use in connection withtelephone systems wherein a plurality of instruments are on the samemain-line circuit or what are known as party-lines The object of theinvention is to overcome the objection of all subscribers on the samemain line being able to hear conversations carried on between any twosubscribers.

The invention consists in the. features of construction and combinationsof devices hereinafter described and specified in the claims.

In the accompanying drawing illustrating the preferred embodiment of myinvention z- Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view, of switches andconnections for three telephones on the same party line, and Fig. 2 is aside elevation of the hook and switch bar of one of the telephones withthe inclosi'ng casing broken away.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, in Fig. 1 the main line wireis designated A and the second wire or ground side of the circuit isindicated at B. Three telephones are illustrated on the same line, thehooks for holding the receivers being numbered 1, 2 and 3 respectively.The switch bar 4 for each telephone is pivoted at 5 to a hard rubberbase 6 having a slot therein through which projects the operating pin orhandle 6 a on said switch bar. Stop lugs 7 are arranged at each end ofsaid slot to arrest the movement of the switch bar in each direction.Two binding posts, 8 and 9, are mounted on the base 6 and are connectedwith the main line A. Flat springs, 10 and 11, are fastened to saidbinding posts and, passing around Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 1, 1908.

Serial No. 377,902.

pins 12 and 13, normally bear against the opposite sides of the switchbar and hold it in a vertical position. Said pins are positioned so thatwhen the switch bar is turned in either direction, the spring on theopposite side will be held out of contact therewith, thereby breakingthe main line circuit which normally passes through the binding posts 8and 9, the springs and the switch bar. A third binding post 14 on thebase 6 is conl the switch bar and through nected up wit 1 the telephoneto the ground or second line wire.

In Fig. 2 the base 6 is shown secured to the inside of the casing 15containing the receiver hook. The switch bar, when in its normalvertical position, engages and locks the hook so that it will not risewhen the receiver is taken off. In order to permit said hook to rise andclose the circuit through the telephone so that it may be used, it isnecessary to turn said switch bar either forward or backward and indoing this the main line circuit through the telephone in use isbroken,as already explained, and the other telephones are cut out.

In Fig. 1 the left hand switch bar is shown in normal position when thetelephone is not in use and the circuit is complete through the bindingposts 8 and 9 and said switch bar. The middle switch bar is in positionwhen the telephone is being used to communicate with a arty in thedirection X and the circuit is t rough binding post 8, the switch barand the binding post 14 to the second line or ground. The right handswitch bar is in position to permit the telephone to be used to talk toa party in the direction Y and in this case the circuit is completethrough the binding post 9, the switch bar and the binding post 14 tothe second line or ground.

It will be noted that when a telephone is in use its receiver hook beingup locks the switch bar in its turned position and keeps the main linecircuit broken until the hook is depressed, when said switch bar will bereturned to its normal vertical position by the springs 10 and 11. Itshould also be understood that the switch bar is turned forward orbackward in accordance with the direction the subscriber desires to talkbefore the receiver is taken off the hook.

I claim 1. The combination, with a telephone in a party line circuit, ofa switch-bar pivoted directly above its receiver-hook and normallyarranged in a vertical position with its free end engaging said hook,means to turn said switch bar to permit said hook to rise, and means tobreak the main line circuit when said switch is turned.

2. The combination, with a telephone in a party line circuit, of aswitch directly above its receiver-hook and normally arranged in avertical position with its free end engaging said hook, a handle on saidswitch bar arranged at an angle thereto and projecting through a themain said switch is turned.

3. The combination, with a telephone in a party-line circuit, of aswitch bar adapted to normally engage and hold down its receiverhook,means for turning said switch bar to permit said hook to rise, springsnormally contacting with the sides of said switch bar and comprisingparts of the main line circuit, and pins alapted to hold either of saidsprings out of contact with said switch bar when the latter is turned inthe opposite direction.

4. The combination, with a telephone in a party-line circuit, of aswitch-bar pivoted directly above its receiver-hook and normallyarranged in a vertical position with its free end engaging said receiverhook, means for turning said switch bar to permit said hook to rise,springs normally contacting with the sides of said switch bar andcomprising parts of the main line circuit and pins adapted to holdcontact turned in the opposite direction.

5. The combination, with a telephone in a bar pivoted y I hook,

normally engage and hold down its receiver-- hook, means i and means tohold either of said connections out of contact with said switch bar whenthe latter is turned in the opposite direction.

6. The combination, with a telephone in a party line circuit, of aswitch bar adapted to normally engage and hold down its receiver meansfor turning said switch bar to permit said hook to rise, means to locksaid switch bar in its turned position when said hook is raised,electrical connections from the main line circuit normally contactingwith the sides of said switch bar, and means to hold either of saidconnections out of contact with said switch bar when the latter isturned in the opposite direction.

7. Thecombination, with a telephone in a party line circuit, of a switchbar adapted to normally engage and hold down its receiver hook, meansfor turning said switch bar to permit said hook to rise, electricalconnecttion from the telephone to said switch bar, electricalconnections from the main line circuit normally contacting with thesides of said switch bar and means to hold either of said latterconnections out of contact with said switch bar when the latter isturned in the opposite direction.

In testimony whereof, I afliX my signature, in presence of twowitnesses.

CLARENCE TRUITT.

